I-630: Divisive Connection

Author

Jacob A. Key, Fay Jones School of Architecture and DesignFollow

Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Architecture

Advisor/Mentor

Brown, Ngozi

Committee Member

Holland, Brian

Second Committee Member

Hughes, Airic

Abstract

The United States’ highway infrastructure provides ease of access to and through cities and towns across the nation. For many of us, this system of interconnected infrastructure is little more than a means of wayfinding with easy access via plentiful exits to just about anywhere along their footprint. This study peels back this veneer of excess and access to relay an uncomfortable truth: these highways have been and continue to be weapons of segregation and White Supremacy, afflicting millions nationwide with mental and physical health issues, restricted mobility, and further restricted access to social mobility in a nation already rife with economic barriers. Within this study is an in-depth narrativized historical study of the city of Little Rock and the city fabric surrounding I-630 before, during, and after its construction. Racial demographics, data on income and wealth, and data on the health of the populace are then mapped using GIS software to further display these data in relation to the footprint of I-630 and other surrounding highways to further the narrative by grounding it empirically. Findings in this study show that I-630 has played an undeniable role in segregating the Black and White populations and that its effects are still visible in the composition of the city’s racial demographics and the people’s access to health and wealth.

Keywords

urban planning; highway construction; I-630; Little Rock; Mapping; GIS

Citation

Key, J. A. (2025). I-630: Divisive Connection. Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/archuht/82